The night passed by quickly, a little too quickly for Senghi's taste. Around four in the morning, she and Hana found themselves in the agency's car outside of an apartment building in Itaewon. The house was surrounded by high walls, a thornhedge and CCTV cameras.
"He's usually late", Hana explained, while nonchalantly inspecting her nails. "Hansung had to go in there a couple of times and wake him up with violence."
"I have no intention of doing that", Senghi muttered and stretched in her seat, trying to get her blood circulation going. She was already exhausted. The TV station had sent her today's filming schedule late last night, and as far as she could tell, they would be working at least 16 hours straight today.
"Is it always this hectic?" she asked, and a small giggle escaped Hana.
"Only when the show gets on the road. The studio sessions are easier, with shorter days. But don't worry, you will have fun today. And you won't have time to feel tired."
Suddenly, the back door of the car slid open. Both Senghi and Hana went quiet and sat up straight in their seats.
"Sorry for being late", Joonah muttered hoarsly. He was wearing a baseball cap with the sweater hood pulled up over it, and a light grey wool coat that made him look fairly broad-shouldered.
"Are you kidding me?" Hana turned to face him with a light scoff. "You've never been this early before. You scared the living daylights out of me.
"Goodmorning, Joonah-ssi", Senghi greeted him, meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror. His eyes were tired, but she could still sense a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Goodmorning, Senghi-ssi. Ready to take on your first variety show?"
"I guess so, yeah."
Hana rolled her eyes.
"So Goodwin, you were motivated to be on time for once? How come?"
"That's a fair assessment." Joonah stretched out on the seat, as his and Senghi's gazes clashed in the rearview mirror again. This time, Senghi could have sworn that the smile reached his eyes."I wouldn't want to disappoint my new manager already on our first day together."
"That's thoughtful of you." A surprised laughter escaped Senghi's throat while she leaned slightly forward to program the GPS according to the agency's instructions.
"We're going to the salon first", Hana prompted. "I swear on everything that's holy, Goodwin, if I can't get those bags under your eyes out... I won't bring any more extra underwear for a month. And forget about your precious Prada jackets. If you can't get to bed on time the day before filming, you simply don't deserve to wear them."
Joonah chuckled and pouted jokingly at Hana's words.
"I will manage just fine without designer jackets, thank you. Extra underwear, on the other hand..." He leaned forward slightly, inspecting his face in the rearview mirror. Senghi's gaze was involuntarily pulled there.
"Is it really as bad as Hana says, Senghi-ssi?" Joonah nonchalantly asked, glancing back at her curiously.
Senghi lowered her eyes and put the car in drive mode.
"You look a little puffed up, but I guess everybody does at this time of day." She stifled a yawn while releasing the brake and steering the car out in the street, trying to keep her tone casual. "Seems it will be a long day of filming today. After seeing today's schedule, I have definitely newfound respect for you variety people."
"Respect for us?" Joonah raised his eyebrows and leaned back against the seat. "Just you wait until you've been running after me a whole day, making sure I am where I should be and with the right amount of caffein in my system. Let's see if your newfound respect for us is intact then..."
Senghi shook her head, laughing.
"Hansung gave me strict orders. One energy drink and one protein drink per day for you, tops.
Hana nodded eagerly.
"Hansung's got the right idea. Your stomach gets really upset unless you follow those restrictions, right, Goodwin?
Joonah sighed dramatically and gave his stomach a couple of pats.
"Unfortunately, yes. But my need for caffein is still undebatable. How will you be handling all of that, Senghi-ssi?"
Hana turned to Senghi.
"Don't mind Goodwin being all fussy about it. He will still drink an infinite number of iced americanos as soon as the coffee truck arrives. That's what gives him a stomachache at the end of the day, not the stuff that you bring him."
"Noted", Senghi giggled, her eyes darting over to Joonah's wronged expression in the rearview mirror.
"Seems you're taking a lot of mental notes, Senghi-ssi, how are you coping with everything so far?" Joonah lazily asked. His eyes were still gleaming with laughter and mischief, as if making a promise, or possibly trying to challenge her.
"I'll do my best to remember everything." Senghi stopped the car outside of the salon where Hana were to work her morning magic on Joonah. She parked and turned to face her travel companions.
"I think I'll go and get us some breakfast while the two of you get started in the salon. What would you like to have?"
Hana waved her hand dismissively, her expression uneasy. "I never eat breakfast. What about you, Goodwin?"
"Hmm…" He smacked his tounge, considering the question with an intent expression. "Toast with eggs and bacon, and a big iced americano, please."
Hana and Joonah stepped out of the car, and Senghi was about to drive off, as the the back door suddenly slid open and Joonah stuck his head back in.
"Thank you for offering to get breakfast, Senghi-ssi. You are already an upgrade from Hansung."
Leaving for the convenience store, Senghi was lost in thought. She had been trying to figure Joonah out, and kept failing miserably. He seemed like such a nice and easy-going guy, a huge contradiction to all the rumors surrounding him. But of course, the rumors applied to Goodwin. The rumors of being blunt, rude and not very humble at all... It was probably all Goodwin, "the sly rascal", as he often was referred to on the show.
Senghi sighed and pulled over by a 7-11 store. Then it hit her.
She was yet to meet Goodwin.